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This pumpkin cheesecake recipe is easy and has just the right amount of pumpkin flavor. It tastes exactly like a cheesecake that crossed paths with a pumpkin pie – the best of both worlds. The only thing difficult about this cheesecake is waiting for it to cool down so you could eat it!
This pumpkin cheesecake is delicious by itself but is just over-the-top impressive when you add some of that caramel sauce and rum-infused whipped cream. This is the perfect holiday dessert. It’s inspired by Fall, makes your home smell incredible, and will have your dinner guests humming with delight.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 12 whole graham crackers)
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) melted, unsalted butter
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:
3 (8-ounces each) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (about 9 oz by weight) packed light brown sugar
15 oz canned pumpkin pie mix (use half of the 30 oz can)
4 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour *measured correctly
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or make your own)
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp real vanilla extract
Optional Pumpkin Cheesecake Toppings:
1 cup of cold heavy cream beat with 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp rum or vanilla
Pumpkin pie spice to dust
Toasted pecans
Caramel sauce – this 8-minute recipe will rock your cheesecake
How to Make a Pie Crust:
Preheat Oven to 350˚F.
1. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 6 Tbsp melted butter. Transfer into a 9-inch springform pan with 3″ tall walls and use a large spoon to press crumbs into the bottom of your springform pan, and going about 1/2″ up the sides of the pan. Bake at 350˚F for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temp.
How to make the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:
Preheat Oven to 350˚F.
1. In the bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the 3 packages of softened cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups brown sugar on med speed until light and fluffy and without lumps (5 min), scraping down the bowl once to make sure you don’t have chunks of cream cheese. Tip: brown sugar is considered “packed” when it holds it’s shape as it comes out of the measuring cup.
Have a taste of this cream cheese frosting. It would make a super yummy frosting actually! Just don’t eat too much. You need it for your cheesecake.
2. In a separate bowl, using a whisk, stir together 15 oz pumpkin pie mix, 4 large eggs, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 Tbsp flour, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Add this mixture to the cheesecake filling and continue mixing on low speed just until well combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
3. Transfer filling into pre-baked crust and bake on the middle rack at 350˚F for 1 hour. Turn off heat, prop the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon and let cheesecake sit in the oven another 45 min. Then remove from the oven and let cool to room temp before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating. Serve when fully chilled (at least 4 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight).
4. Before serving, carefully remove cheesecake from springform pan by running a blunt knife along the sides of the cheesecake to release from the springform mold. Add desired toppings (see list above) and serve
To Make the Whipped Cream:
Tip: Freeze mixing bowl for 10 minutes to get the best whipped cream results.
1. In a cold mixing bowl, add 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp rum or vanilla. Beat on high speed until fluffy and spreadable. Don’t over-beat or it will turn buttery. It only takes less than 2 min to make fresh whipped cream.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients
The Crust:
The Filling:
- 24 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 15 oz can pumpkin pie mix
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp real vanilla extract
Optional Toppings:
- 1 cup cold heavy cream beat with 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp rum or vanilla
- Pumpkin pie spice to dust
- Toasted pecans
- Caramel sauce
Instructions
How to Make the Crust: Preheat Oven to 350˚F.
- Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 6 Tbsp melted butter. Transfer into a 9-inch springform pan with 3" tall walls and use a large spoon to press crumbs into the bottom of your springform pan, and going about 1/2" up the sides of the pan. Bake at 350˚F for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temp.
How to make the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling: Preheat Oven to 350˚F.
- In the bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the 3 packages of softened cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups brown sugar on med speed until light and fluffy and without lumps (5 min), scraping down the bowl once to make sure you don't have chunks of cream cheese. Tip: brown sugar is considered "packed" when it holds it's shape as it comes out of the measuring cup.
- Have a taste of this cream cheese frosting. It would make a super yummy frosting actually! Just don't eat too much. You need it for your cheesecake.
- In a separate bowl, using a whisk, stir together 15 oz pumpkin pie mix, 4 large eggs, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 Tbsp flour, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Add this mixture to the cheesecake filling and continue mixing on low speed just until well combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Transfer filling into pre-baked crust and bake on the middle rack at 350˚F for 1 hour or until slightly wobbly in the center. Turn off heat, prop the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon and let cheesecake sit in the oven another 45 min. Then remove from the oven and let cool to room temp before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating. Serve when fully chilled (at least 4 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight).
- Before serving, carefully remove cheesecake from springform pan by running a blunt knife along the sides of the cheesecake to release from the springform mold. Add desired toppings (see list above) and serve.
To Make the Whipped Cream:
- Tip: Freeze mixing bowl for 10 minutes to get the best whipped cream results.
- In a cold mixing bowl, add 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp rum or vanilla. Beat on high speed until fluffy and spreadable. Don't over-beat or it will turn buttery. It only takes less than 2 min to make fresh whipped cream.
Nutrition Per Serving
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I loved it. thanks.
Absolutely amazing recipe Natasha! Worked out perfectly from first try!! I just need to add maybe another tbl spn sugar Next time to the whipped cream 🙂 thank you for your site. Idk what I’d do without it 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂 Thanks!
Making this today! Do you have to keep the oven open for 45 min?
It’s not absolutely crucial, but it does help prevent cracking in the cheesecake. Make sure the oven is off during that 45 min and prop it open with a wooden spoon.
Hi Natasha, thank you for this incredible recipe!!! I made my first ever pumpkin cheesecake and it was really good!!! We live in US for 4 years and we never even wanted to try it, the color isnt attractive and the main ingredient the same…. BUT your mouthwatering presentation intrugued me AND I decided to give it a try by the end;))) and every one (even two my little ones) in my family enjoyed it!!! I would never thought that it can turn out that delicious with pumpkin!!!!!
The only thing I wonder why I had a crack in the middle??? (I’ve covered it with cream and caramel sauce, like it wasn’t there at all;))) )… But still why???
Thank you and way to go!!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! It’s funny, my husband made it today too! A couple things possibly; did you bake in the center of the oven? Also, did you make sure to following the beating instructions and not beat on too high of a speed; that introduces air bubbles into the mixture and could cause more cracking. I hope that helps. 🙂
This looks AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
For a ready pie crust. How much of cream cheese would I have to use? Less? So the filling would fit into a ready pie crust
One of my readers said she was able to make two pies with the full recipe. I haven’t tested any variations of less cream cheese and the same amount of pumpkin so I can’t really recommend that without testing first.
Hi Natasha. This cheesecake looks amazing! I want to try it for a work potluck this week. Will let you know how it turned out. Question: Do you make your own caramel sauce?? Or did you use store bought for this cake? If you made it, what recipe did you use?
You can use store-bought if you like, but homemade is so easy and quick and has no weird ingredients in it. I used pioneer woman’s recipe for caramel sauce. I left a link in the post. 🙂
Such a gorgeous cheesecake, love the caramel drizzle!
It’s such a tasty caramel sauce and I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make it. After I finished decorating the cheesecake, I had a little leftover and I dipped granny smith apples into it. Scrumptious!
I just made this pie it smells and looks delicious! ! Thank you !! =) I had it in the oven extra 45 min with slightly open door. But it cracked 🙁 do you know why?
Hmmmm…. I actually haven’t had this one crack on me. Did you bake it in the center of the oven? Also, did you make sure to beat the cream cheese on medium speed and then combine the pumpkin mixture with the cream cheese mixture on low speed? Sometimes if you beat on too high of speed, you introduce too much air into the batter and it could cause cracks. It could also just be a difference in ovens. I hope that helps somewhat.
Yea my mixer is broken it only beats on high speed .lol yess I know I need a new one ASAP . I guess that’s the problem ok thank you so much:)
Oh man, what a bummer! 🙁 At least Christmas is right around the corner 😉
Mine cracked too bc i have a bummy mixer! Goes only high speed 🙁 But it still tastes amazing 🙂
Will have to hint to hibs for a kitchen aid…hehhe
I’m sure glad you still enjoyed it. Whipped cream covers everything 😉
I have heard a water bath while it cooks helps with it not cracking. Giving it a try as I type. I will let you know how it works for me.
Yes, do let me know how it goes! Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Okay first of all i CANT bake. I can cook but baking turns into a huge mess. Made this yesterday! OMG!!!!!!!! Sooooo easy and so tasty! Thanks a million you rock!
The first part of your comment made me a little antsy; I thought, Ok, here it comes…. dun dun dun. lol. I’m so happy you had awesome results! 🙂 Woot Woot!!
Same goes for me..im a terrible baker! But all the recipes ive tried on your blog always WORK and they taste fantastic!! About to put the whip on this cheesecake and take it to a housewarming party. Im a big fan! Thank you for working so hard on these recipes and blog!
Sveta, (can I call you Sveta? – My sisters name is Sveta :)) thank you so much! I sure appreciate your sweet comment 🙂
Hi Natasha. I love your recipes and your my go to place when I make most meals now. I am planning for a Halloween party and I am planning to make this awesome cheese cake. I have the Pumpkin Pie Mix that you have in your photo at home. Another poster mentioned that it has added sugar. Should I adjust my sugar in the recipe then?
No need to adjust. The cake photographed uses pumpkin pie mix. You can sub with just puree or homemade puree, but everything else stays the same.
If I don’t have a fancy mixer like you do, can I still make this successfully with a hand held mixer? I’m not much of a baker so I wouldn’t know. 😉 But I really want to surprise my husband with this dessert.
Yes, you can use a hand mixer. 🙂 I hope you and your husband love it!
Pumpkin Cheesecake is my hubby’s favorite dessert.. I just made this and its baking as I type and it smells wonderful! My 1.5 year old daughter sure loved licking the frosting off of the spatula! Anyways the only thing I did different is I added pecans into the crust and adjusted the butter and sugar a little bit. I’ll let you know how it turns out! 🙂
Oh do let me know how it turned out. The pecans in the crust sound wonderful! My son doesn’t eat pecans so that idea is out for me, but is sure sounds good! 🙂
It turned out amazing! My hubby loved the caramel topping and kept squeezing on that extra rum whip cream on each of his slices. Will make again for sure! Thank you for another great recipe!
Oh that is so fantastic! I can imagine the rum whipped cream scene. lol. Isn’t it amazing how just a tiny splash of rum makes that cream so tasty? I’m so happy you both enjoyed it 🙂
Love it! Thank you, Natasha!
That looks amazing! I was at Olive Garden the other day and saw their pumpkin cheesecake and wanted to make one soon. This is perfect! (by the way, your ingredients photo shows pumpkin pie mix which is slightly different from canned pumpkin puree.. the mix contains added sugars, water, salt, etc.)
Thank you Katy! I also purchased the wrong size :-O (photographed is a larger can than needed – since you only need 15 oz). You can use either pumpkin pie mix or canned pumpkin puree or your own homemade puree).
Natasha, hi! I am writing you from Ukraine)) Just wanna tell you, that you are doing a great work! And this cheesecake is no exception)
Thank you so much for the sweet compliment 🙂
I am totally in love with this cheesecake! I roasted and pureed 3 pumpkins and already made 2 pumpkin pies to celebrate Canadian thanksgiving last weekend. I brought some to work yesterday as my British and Italian colleagues have never tasted pumpkin pie in their lives. It was so much fun to introduce them to pumpkin deliciousness. I can’t wait to make this cheesecake, Natasha. I just told my husband last night I want to try and make one this year. Pinned.
Thanks Julia 🙂 And thank you so much for pinning! It sounds like you are all stocked up with pumpkin for the winter! 🙂
Wow…no other words 🙂
Awww, thanks Binsy 🙂
This looks delicious ! Can’t wait to try it! Thank you Natasha for another wonderful recipe . May God bless you and your beautiful family abundantly ! 🙂
Thank you so much Tamara an blessings to you as well! 🙂
Natasha, this cheesecake look amazing. I am loving this pumpkin season.
Oh me too! I went to my sister in laws house to raid her pumpkin patch and I asked her if she had any sugar pumpkins. She said she didn’t think so and about 50% of the pumpkins I picked were actually sugar pumpkins! Homemade puree, here I come! 🙂 And they sure look pretty on my dining room table for now 🙂
What happens if your family can’t wait for the 4 hours in fridge before eating?? 😳😳😳
That is a pickle for sure. The best thing to do is to hide it. If you slice too early, it won’t set properly.